My 1991 PA threatens to die at the red light...sometimes it stays on, sometimes it just cuts out. The idle goes to zero and it turns off. The lights / heat / and radio all stay on and work just fine. When diving on the highway, it runs beautifully. There is NO check engine light. I had the mechanic do a scan for codes and nothing showed up. I also had the fuel filter changed and nothing improved. I bought the car a couple of weeks ago, I just noticed that the mass air flow meter has a bunch of silicon on it, as if maybe somebody leaned on it and cracked it. The silicon must have been put there as a fix. Any suggestions on how to fix this annoying problem?

The MAF's are easy to find in a parts yard.. I would replace it for starters.

Otherwise its possible you have a dirty IAC Idle Air Controller. Not sure about your model..
The other possibliities are a leaky injector that a additive can cure. Injectors are brutes and often a shop can just clean a sticky one and replace it. They can live much longer than the engine.
Also the EGR might be dirty and sticking open and leaning out your idle..


Good Luck